Hi steveho. Thanks for your concern about the leg. Have recently had more xrays which shows that there is healing but it has not knitted completely. Another 2 weeks in the moonboot should do the trick.

A thanks to all who have shown an interest in this RR. It gives one great encouragement.

There has been a delay with the next posting as I have been away but will get back to it asap.

Safe riding!

__________________
"Heading out to where pavement turns to sand...."
Neil Young.

From a fellow beer lover...Thanks for sharing your adventure. I love the spirit and the smiles displayed, even at the end of long days that could have broken the spirits of many a woman and man. And for you to do it on a busted foot...incredible. A tip of the hat to you both.

I was anxious the previous evening about riding down these muddy, windy roads as it rained into the night. After saying farewell to Shadrack, the manager, who gave us a complimentary breakfast, we set off in the direction of Buhoma – 42km away through the eastern edge of the forest. Once I got onto my bike I immediately relaxed and started to enjoy the ride. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought. About 25 km into the ride the road turned foul and there was slush and mud for about 2km. Kingsley managed to get himself stuck again by trying to move along the edges. Two ladies were walking up the road and they kindly helped us to manoeuvre the bike out again.

But there is always light at the end of the tunnel and we arrived at this lovely tranquil spot down at the river. All this beauty that surrounded us made up for all these little challenges.

We passed the Buhoma turnoff ( another base for gorilla tracking) and headed for the Ishasha entrance to The Queen Elizabeth National Park which lies astride the equator and hugs the flat lava plains of the eastern shores of Lake Edward. This is the smallest of the Great African Lakes, 77km in length and only 40 km wide. It was named in honour of Prince Albert Edward, The Prince of Whales, later to become King Edward VII.The road, which was close to the DRC border, was a good one and it led us out of the forests and hills and down to flat green grasslands and Acacia trees – Africa as we know it. These remote Ishasha plains in the southwest of the park are often over looked by tourists.

I continuously scanned the trees for any tree climbing lions that the park is well known for but saw none – not sure if it’s a good or bad thing. But we did see the ellies about half way through the reserve. This made my day. A couple of them were resting in the shade of a tree on the side of the road.

The rest of the road that leads to the tar at the Katanguru bridge made for easy comfortable riding. After crossing the Kazinga Channel that connects Lake Edward to Lake George we took the second turnoff to the MWEYA Gate and passed by a huge crater lake which is a result of volcanic explosion.

__________________
"Heading out to where pavement turns to sand...."
Neil Young.

Arriving at QENP was another costly exercise.They charged us $30 each and $35 per motor bike!! That was the end of our dollars. By the way......... that is a daily fee!! So...130 USD ( R1040) poorer we rode into the Mweya Peninsular.

There are 3 types of accommodation here:·Upmarket : The Mweya Safari Lodge ( very posh) – the Ugandan President, DRC President and one other important chappie were celebrating Christmas here – hence the strong military presence.

STUNNING VIEWS FROM THE LODGE

·Moderate: Mweya Hostel – little rooms with a shared bathroom and it had its own little restaurant that served up delicious meals and was very festive. This is where we chose to stay. It was comfortable enough.

·Budget: Camping – on the edge of the peninsular. It was very dry and dusty here with very basic ablutions. In hindsight, I wish we had stayed here. Thembos Canteen, a short distance away would cater for the campers needs. This is a simple but friendly little canteen that also overlooks the Kazinga Channel with lovely views of wildlife on the opposite banks.

It would have been nice to do a boat trip up the channel but we arrived too late in the afternoon and we needed to make an early start the next day. A real pity as the game viewing was apparently stunning.We met up with a mother and her 3 daughters from the Western Cape and they had ditched Dad in South Africa and were touring Uganda. It’s really great meeting up with so many interesting folk. We headed off to bed after a lovely days ride and were excited about crossing over the equator into the northern hemisphere the following day.

__________________
"Heading out to where pavement turns to sand...."
Neil Young.

We tried for an early getaway but for some unknown reason my bikes battery was flat. We made a plan to jump start it from the Tenere and in no time we were on the road. We were fortunate to see some curious buffalo and Waterbuck. They had a good look at us before becoming bored and moving off.

Finally...........the Equator! A first for both of us.....hopefully not the last. I couldn’t believe that we had come this far.

The road to Kasese was divine, tar all the way with pretty cotton fields on the left and Lake George on the right. At Kasese we drew cash and refuelled.

3 UP ON A BODA-BODA

Heading north towards Hima we passed ‘a blot on the landscape’......the cement factory belching out smoke. Clearly, we were heading for civilization.

HOW GROSS........BUT IT IS A COMMON SIGHT.

After riding through some rain we arrived in the busy town of Fort Portal at about 11.00 am. It was buzzing with activity and it was difficult to stop and take photos as there were so many people and bicycles but we got a few shots. It looked a very attractive place.

CHECK OUT THE PINEAPPLES

The Rwenzori Mountains, being the highest mountain range in Africa, runs for almost 120 km along the Congolese border just west of Kasese and Fort Portal. These mountains rise directly from the Rift Valley floor.We headed east for about 47 km passing by acres and acres of tea plantations. At Kyenjojo we turned left and headed north again on a dirt road taking in some interesting sights.

ANOTHER OPEN-AIR BUTCHERY.......TAKE NOTE OF THE TAIL BELOW

__________________
"Heading out to where pavement turns to sand...."
Neil Young.